How gaming became the scariest horror medium

Whilst horror movies have managed to scare generations of movie-goers, it’s becoming increasingly obvious that video games now present the best opportunity we now have for scaring ourselves senseless.

From cute spooky live casino games to some psychologically damaging virtual reality titles, gaming culture has shown an uncanny ability to use horror imagery in endlessly creative ways.

For a long time, limitations in graphical depth meant that realism was always an issue, but recently such obstacles have been overcome. From the ultra-violent bloodbaths of 2016’s remake of Doom, to the engrossing storylines of horror gaming classic, The Last of Us, it seems that video games developers could be overtaking movie-makers in producing truly terrifying content.

That’s not to say that horror games don’t owe a pretty sizeable debt to horror movies. Some of the best titles of recent years like Until Dawn almost act out like a typical Hollywood shocker with handsome teens doing unspeakably stupid things whilst hanging out at a spooky cabin in the woods.

And Silent Hill 2 added a surreal sense of horror in a way that would have done weirdo directors like David Lynch proud. But despite the cinematic influences, it seems that there are a few horror video games that are looking to push the boundaries of this much-loved genre.

Whilst the concept of horror and live casino games might seem a little incongruous, a quick look at the Betway site shows how even the most traditional casino games can be given a horror-style facelift to great effect.

Similarly, the growing virtual reality gaming phenomenon has been quick to realise how perfectly suited horror themes can be in this ultra-realistic environment. Although VR developers have been cautious about making games that are too scary, it seems that with the likes of the new Resident Evil VR game due for release soon, it’s going to be all too tempting to use the virtual technologies to deliver some first-class fear.

Already there’s a stack of horror VR titles in the pipeline that shows how willing developers are push the boundaries of horror entertainment. And the Night Terrors augmented reality mobile game looks to be a kind of Pokémon Go for horror fans as it aims to fill your house with unspeakably evil creatures.

Thankfully, not all horror gaming has to be so horrendous, as there are always some live casino horror games to unwind with after you’ve scared yourself senseless!